I've been wanting to write a Spring Football Bits for weeks, except the biggest news coming out of there isn't what's happening on the field for 2023 but which high schoolers have been coming by to watch it. So here we are, mid Spring Ball of the most anticipated season since 2006, rolling out an update on teenagers who might sign in 2024 or 2025 and be relevant by 2026.

Oh, and one stray 2023 that's still out there.

Safety swipe. VA 4* ATH Brandyn Hillman recently asked out of his NLI to Notre Dame and is expected to join either Michigan or Ohio State($, info in title), with Michigan calling within 15 minutes of Hillman reopening his recruitment. Lorenz agrees Michigan is in front($) but makes it sound more like a 4-point lead, with Ohio State about to get possession($), as Bill Kurelic says OSU is the only school that's currently certain to get visit (video). OSU was the loser of a 5-star battle with Bama for #1 safety/#6 overall Caleb Downs on Early Signing Day. USC, who missed out late on TX 4* Warren Roberson, also offered.

Michigan didn't have a pure safety in the class but brought in three guys who redshirted in 2022 and a couple more ATHs in Jason Hewlett and DJ Waller who project to the LB and CB sides of the safety range, respectively, meaning they can afford Hillman time to develop. Not so at Notre Dame, where the safety depth chart is starting resemble their 4-scholarship player basketball roster. Their 2023 class also got raided over the course of the cycle.

Hillman played QB and several other positions in high school but it's pretty clear this is a safety offer, not a last second quarterback. He's shown out at camps, most recently at the Polynesian Bowl. Tim Prister describes a versatile "wrecking ball" and "Point A to Point B missile" who's sized like a pure safety but brings a LB's mentality. All that sounds more like Khaleke Hudson.

So how did Hillman slip loose? Hillman said "personal reasons." MnB did some message board sleuthing but only found Tom Loy claiming academics but not just academics:

[Loy] stated he “believes academics played a role here in this decision” for him to leave Notre Dame. Loy further stated there were “some hurdles” to getting him academically admitted, but Notre Dame didn’t push to get him cleared. Apparently this is a specific academic problem related to Notre Dame, otherwise high academic schools like Michigan, Vanderbilt and Virginia likely would not have offered.

It's my understanding that Michigan and Notre Dame have the same academic approach—the teams get a handful of "trust us" counters for freshmen who are reasonably close but everyone else has to get in on their own—which means non-qualifiers either A) didn't meet the minimal standard for a counter, or B) were supposed to get in on their own and now need a counter. Loy's claim that ND "didn't push to get him cleared" is a nod toward 'B' but could also translate to "he told us not to bother."

[After THE JUMP: Phil Brabbs gets a downgrade]

WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END

That name sounds awfully familiar. The reason there's so much recruiting coming out of spring practice is several targets for have been coming by to watch, and bringing visitors, like this guy who came with a tight end candidate.

I'm going to have to check if Guest of Ocean Brabbs has heard anything from his former teammate Jonathan Goodwin, aka Guest of Channing Goodwin, the North Carolina 4-star receiver, and Channing's Providence Day teammate NC 4* Jordan Shipp, both top targets for Ron Bellamy. On3's EJ Holland saw both PD receivers at the Myrtle Beach 7v7 tournament($), where Shipp and Goodwin were two of the best. Via Holland, the teammates are planning a visit to Ann Arbor this month.

Shifting up to Virginia, Michigan offered the 6-3/185 3* Mekhai White while White was up here on an unofficial visit, and afterwards told Sam Webb to put in a crystal ball (around 4:45), told Holland "they are definitely the team to beat right now," got the guys at Rivals site Maize & Blue Review all put in FutureCasts, and has a commitment watch scheduled for May 12th. White also plays basketball, and has offers from Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma, Penn State, and many others, so he seems like the type who won't stay a 3-star very long.

The question is how do they fit all these guys and still have room to pursue some of the elites. Sam said on air that he declined to put in a crystal ball for White because IL 4* I'Marion Stewart (from Todd Howard's alma mater Bolingbrook) is still #1 on Michigan's board, and might be for a few other schools too after Stewart impressed at February 7v7 camp.

Given how many receivers they're close with, it's probably not a bad idea to grab a spot soon. Holland's Myrtle Beach article also mentions NC 4* Micah Gilbert and VA 3* Keylen Adams, whom Michigan is working on. Sounds like Bellamy will be making a few trips to the South Atlantic region this cycle. Fortunately his brother-in-law Tshimanga Biakabutuka still lives out that way.

QUARTERBACK

Of course his efforts there could get a big boost if Michigan were to get a commitment from Providence Day's quarterback. MGoUser Denarded recently laid out several dominoes on our message board, that could start with NC 5* QB Jadyn Davis:

In some pleasant crootin' news, Michigan Football is on the brink of a serious tear on the recruiting front for the 2024 class.

… Robinson hinted his decision timeline could be expedited if a certain 5* QB may be making a decision soon. This sentiment seems to be the case for several other recruits on the board.

That 5* QB is obviously Jadyn Davis (#24 overall), who is visiting this weekend in what shapes up to be another huge weekend for the staff. If all goes well with meeting new QB coach Kirk Campbell, his recruitment could be wrapping up pretty soon, giving Michigan the crown jewel of the class.

Davis was reportedly close to committing several times earlier in the cycle, but Jay Harbaugh's dad had another NFL flirtation, and when that settled they had to fire QB coach Matt Weiss. At the time Sam told us on air that Davis's parents had to teach Weiss how to recruit, but that initial weakness had since become a strength. Jadyn sat down with Sam Webb and confirmed all of it, confirmed that he and Kirk Campbell have been getting to know each other since, and confirmed "I'm lovin' it."

Seems like it's a matter of time, but if this recruitment has taught us anything, Michigan could step on any number of rakes in the time left to them.

RUNNING BACK

Shrug this way. Texas insider Mike Roach put in a crystal ball to Michigan for TX RB Taylor Tatum, who's been Mike Hart's top target once they saw Tatum's insane track stats. Tatum is also up to 36th overall in the Composite, which would be right in that perfect "not a 5-star" range. He would also be coming for baseball (maybe don't show him how they've started). USC and Texas were the other two big schools involved—Bama is hovering—so an insider from one of them giving the ol' "[the other guys] have been all-in … if Texas makes a big push" shrug-away is a very good sign for the direction he's shrugging.

Michigan wants two backs in the class, and their other major target remains Cincy 4* Jordan Marshall, who remains a Michigan-Ohio State battle. The other schools getting visits are Wisconsin and Tennessee, but OSU gets the last of those, according to Kurelic, by their request, and also will have him on their campus during Michigan's spring game. Michigan gets a visit this weekend and an official on June 9th, the second weekend of the tour. He plans to announce a week after the OSU visit, on July 4th weekend. Given the structure of his visit schedule, I'd guess Ohio State has the edge.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Guest of Caden Kolesar will be happy to hear that Michigan finally has three new crystal balls in for OH 4* OT Ben Roebuck, one of the three OL prospects from Cleveland power St Ed's. The third ball is from national recruiting director Steve Wiltfong, who shared that Roebuck came into town to watch spring practice($).

He was joined by fellow Clevelander, 3* OH commit Luke Hamilton, plus TX 4* OT Max Anderson (brother of Oklahoma OL Nate), TX 3* Blake (son of Steve) Frazier, and FL 3* C/G Jake Guarnera, who spent a lot of time with Hamilton and felt like he was "hanging out with my cousins."($) Florida and Penn State seem to be the main competition.

Guest of Blake Frazier has been quiet about his son's intentions, but it seems Michigan's got a strong lead there.

EDGE

Found the edge. As Denarded was saying before the Davis part, Youngstown 4* Edge Brian Robinson is up to 260 pounds, and appears to be Michigan's to lose. Sam put in a crystal ball, explaining Robinson has been on campus eight(!!!) times, including a four-day, three-practice trip this past weekend along with his extended family. That hasn't changed Robinson's timeline, which won't be until the fall. On the other hand, it does sound like a Davis commitment here would be the dagger.

He also appears headed for the strongside edge position (Hutchinson's side, not Ojabo's).

"We broke down some film where they see me as a hybrid outside linebacker/d end, strong hedge."

Why hasn't Ohio State offered? Probably because they can get the top DE in the country every year, and thinks OSU believes they can loop back and get him if they miss. Sam disagrees—Steve Clinkscale is a Youngstown boy himself, and has killed it in this recruitment. Sam did mention on yesterday's Recruiting Roundup that a Robinson commitment would provide a lot of clarity to an edge board that right now has a bunch of maybes.

Coach BT? More like Coach NFL amirite? Speaking of edge recruiting, MSU just lost superstar edge coach Brandon T. Jordan to the NFL.

This was predictable to anyone familiar with the particular unreliability of Spartan wishcasting, but having Jordan on campus for even a few months was the reason Tucker' killed it with edge prospects in 2023 (both freshmen and in the portal), and why MSU was listed among the favorites for just about every elite kid in the country in 2024. Having Jordan around for even one season is going to pay dividends for years, even if they can't hang on to a majority of the Here for BT crowd.

There aren't too many skills guys of that caliber out there, but Jordan's career is fascinating in that a talented coach left behind by the coaching fraternity can plant his own flag, attract an elite clientele, and use that to catapult his way up the ranks. I also wonder if it would be possible to set one of those guys up independently in Ann Arbor permanently, and have players use their NIL money to train there in the offseason. They had something like that with Mike Barwis (now with the Red Wings) for a time, or Don Canham's School-Tech company down State Street that produced training videos every kid of my parents' generation used to learn their sports skills, and thereafter associated with Michigan.

Michigan benefited from Jordan too, because kids flying in to work with Coach BT were swinging by Ann Arbor on the way in or out. One of those guys was OK 4* Xadvien Sims, a Mike Morris-shaped, multi-sport edge who was crystal balled to MSU in November. Hometown Oklahoma was the other school in that recruitment, but Michigan's been staying in contact. Sims made another Michigan swing this week after visiting Arkansas ($, info in title). We'll see where it goes now.

LINEBACKER

Ooooh. The all-in approach on 4* MD ILB Aaron Chiles seems to have put Michigan well out in front for their top linebacker target. The Good Counsel (Kris Jenkins, Blake Countess) stopper's vibes leaving Ann Arbor this time were good enough for Lucas Reimink to put out a scouting report, which they usually don't bother with unless they think a commitment is coming to draw people back to it. Wiltfong, Lorenz, and Marich all put in crystal balls to Michigan after the weekend and Steve would surprised($) if Sam's gut doesn't follow.

Full staff effort. Michigan still has a commitment from 2025 GA linebacker Mantrez Walker that they picked up a month ago. It sounds like Walker transitioned seamlessly to from Helow to Partridge, who's the guy who broke Michigan into Georgia in the first place. Actually Jesse Minter and Sherrone Moore were running point on that. Walker is also teammates with elite GA 5* KJ Bolden, whom Clink is keeping in constant contact with($) via Holland.

Also at that link, TN 3* LB Edwin Spillman was in contact with Helow but hasn't talked to Partridge. However the hiring might have helped put Michigan back in the top group($, info in title) for TX 4* Parker Meese, according to Josh Henschke.

Meanwhile Clinkscale is working hard on local 4* Jeremiah Beasley at Belleville as well as Beasley's MaxEx 7v7 teammate…

SECONDARY

Boo! That's TN 4* Boo Carter, their top nickel prospect this cycle, who's still carrying a Tennessee crystal ball from Wiltfong from mid-October. Carter and Beasley both have Michigan, Tennessee, and Colorado at the tops of their lists, and Sam Webb is starting to talk about them as a package deal ($, info in title). Taken with the ball to Tennessee I think this means the Vols were close to landing both last fall, but now the trend is heading north, with a long, long way to go to actually winning the pair.

Their top CB prospect outside is easily 4.5* Bryce West out of Glenville, and when I say "top prospect" I mean one of only two guys listed as a cornerback among Michigan's top targets on 247 right now.

Yes, Ohio State is recruiting West. Yes, getting a guy out of Glenville that Ohio State wants is tough sledding through a hard row to hoe against a stiff wind through rough terrain in an uphill battle while spinning your wheels. Ideally if you're putting this many eggs in one basket and counting them chickens you want a sign you're in front. Let's play compare the quotes($, though this was also on a video). On Michigan:

“I like the atmosphere there,” West said. “The coaches always show great love. They always text me and make sure I’m doing good in school and outside of school and I have a good relationship with Coach Clink.

On Ohio State:

“If you’re an Ohio kid you have that love when you go down to Columbus,” West said. “When I’m in the building all the fans know me, all the coaches know me, most of the players know me. I talk to a lot of the players. … “When you think of Ohio State they always say Ohio State develops the best DBs. They have BIA, best in America.”

Oy. Maybe someone should tell him about that DB development at Ohio State.

So, who's the other guy on list you ask? That's Terhyon Nichols, a Cincy area guy who's flying up the recruiting rankings. Only 247 hasn't updated him a 4-star (he is on the composite). Notre Dame and Penn State are involved too. Michigan only just offered on Monday, along with teammates Quintin Simmons, a 2025 RB/slot prospect, and Chris Henry Jr., a 2026 WR who's already 6-5 (and might be a TE in a few years).

Also the 247 database is a little unfair because Carter, S/CB commit Jacob Oden, and PA 4* Quinton Martin—the guy Michigan's battling Penn State for—are all listed as ATHs in the database. It's also, given the #2 guy for a 3-man rotation right now is a redshirt freshman "swimming" through a position switch, a bit nerve-wracking to be this deep into the cycle without, you know, lots of interested cornerbacks.

Yes he's saying there's a chance. Lorenz does the best job of anybody at concisely summarizing things you need to know about the shape of recruiting, and nowhere is that tendency more useful than with the top-150 types that Michigan keeps in touch with but won't really know if they're in heavy contention for until late in the cycle. If you're a subscriber, read his entire piece on "Ten other 2024 top-100 prospects"($) we have a shot with. If not, here's a sample that may feel relevant in 10 weeks:

DB/S JORDON JOHNSON-RUBELL

Why: This one is relatively simple: Michigan went from not offering to offering and securing an unofficial visit in about a week's time. Michigan is getting credit for developing edge players and other spots but safety is quietly a position where the staff has had some guys and will be getting guys drafted. It's our belief that Johnson-Rubell is a prospect who will be impressed with what Michigan has to offer.

I've blown off these shots at IMG kids in the past only to see things get super serious. I've also underrated Jay Harbaugh a thousand million times despite all the evidence that says to stop doing that.

YOU CAN'T MAKE ME TAKE 2025 SERIOUSLY YET

But Michigan is getting crystal balls in for early top-100 ATH Lamason Waller, who's being recruited at receiver.

They also have 5* Bryce Underwood of Belleville, who's currently the #3 overall prospect in the country, coming up for the weekend. Sam Webb said the meeting between Underwood and Kirk Campbell went as well as it possibly could. There's a lot of talk of LSU, with PSU and OSU getting visits, but I think we know who the big whale of the 2025 cycle is going to be.

Finally, Sam Webb met with OL Avery Gach, who said his growing up green and white won't matter as much as other factors like relationships and academics. Gach would be not just be the first Michigan scholarship player from my alma mater, he'd be the first scholarship D-I player in the history of Temple Shir Shalom. This isn't just a personal note. Like I told Sam, a family that sends their kids to The Learning Center preschool doesn't just care about academics; they really do their research. As for relationships, I think if Sherrone Moore is still in Ann Arbor in a few years, Gach will be too.

Happy Trails. Elite GA 4* Edge KingJoseph Edwards is down to OSU, UGA, and South Carolina.